You Got Me Floatin'

Last weekend we got invited to a friend's birthday bash. He's a Canadian gent whose wife is Uzbeki. He is, apparently, the "condom king" of Laos. His company manufactures and distributes millions of condoms in an attempt to encourage safe sex practices amongst the locals. There were about 40 guests at the party and everyone received a nice box of condoms as a party favor. Whoopee!

The party was held mid-afternoon on a barge/restaurant floating down the scenic Nam Ngum River north of Vientiane. The riverside restaurant complex was huge, with large groups of mostly Lao people either dining on terra firma or opting to do the float 'n' eat thang. We all assembled aboard the barge, watched the feast being laid out on the long low table, and when everything was ready, shoved off down the river.

The food was great (even though we had already eaten and ended up just nibbling), and I broke one of my rules by consuming alcoholic beverages before 6 PM. Sipping a glass of Beer Lao seemed appropriate to the occasion somehow. Maybe it was the realization that karaoke was just around the proverbial bend! Yes, it was a karaoke boat and soon the Abba, Journey, and especially Bryan Adams was ablastin' (did I mention the birthday boy was Canadian?). After a few glasses of beer, I felt compelled to grab the mike when I heard some strains of Always Something There to Remind Me come thru the speakers (does everyone know how much I love Burt Bacharach?).

We floated downstream for a couple of hours, turned around and motored back. It was fun. I wish I had been hungrier 'cause the food was really tasty. I wish I hadn't had so many glasses of beer 'cause I was ready for bed at 6:30. Oh, we met some really nice people who gave us a ride out to the gig. The guy is a retired Mountie - talk about a serious Canadian!